Defend

“In the beginning then?”

She glances down at her hands and I know the moment the answer hits her because her shoulders slump. “You would never ask me to do such a thing.” I’m not quite so sure about that. If I truly thought he was a bad guy, I would ask her to think about not seeing him. “I don’t know that I can get used to this, Dad.” She looks back up at me.

“All I ask is that you try.” It’s the best I can ask of her. It’s the only thing I can ask of her. I know if the situation was reversed, I’d struggle with the idea of it, too. But if Kayla came to me and begged me to accept it, I would try for her. I hope that she’ll do the same for me.

“That man is too hot for our own good,” Erin says with a shake of her head as she backs out of Brent’s driveway. “This is the second time I’m having to pick you up, so if anything happened last night, I want the juicy details.”

“Yes, we had sex. Yes, it was fantastic. To top everything off, his daughter surprised him with a visit this morning and we have a class together. It’s safe to say she doesn’t like me or approve of her dad seeing me.”

“Oh, wow. I know I’m a bit envious of how hot your boyfriend is, but I’m totally good with not having any of that drama in my life. Is he still going to see you despite how his daughter feels?” she asks.

“Yeah. Enough about me. What’s going on with you?” I feel like every time we get together lately, we only talk about me, which makes me a terrible friend.

“Well, you might not have believed me last night, but I did go to the library. I didn’t get much studying done because I met a guy.” For the rest of the ride back to campus, I listen as Erin recaps her night with the guy she met. She seems smitten and excited about their upcoming date.

Back on campus, I return to my room where my roommate still sleeps. My phone vibrates with a call from my mother and to be a good roommate, I step out into the hallway to answer.

“Hey, Mother.”

“I’m surprised you answered, seeing as how you’ve been ignoring my calls.”

After a quick moment of debate, I decide to take Brent’s advice. “I’m sorry. I’ve been seeing someone and between him, work, and school, I’m pretty busy.”

Mother is quiet for a few seconds before she says, “You have a boyfriend? That’s fantastic news! You need to make a visit home soon, so we can meet him.”

My head falls back against the wall. Damn it, Brent! The last thing we need to do is drive to Charlotte and have a meet-the-parents session. I sigh and say, “We’ll see. We’re both very busy.” She’d have a fit if I immediately told her no. The mention of a man does partially do the trick because she wants to know about him instead of pestering me about how I’m feeling about my sister’s pregnancy.

I have to endure and evade her intrusive questions for who knows how long before she finally lets me hang up. The next time I see Brent, he will definitely know that his bright idea backfired. It does bring up the question of how my parents will react when they eventually find out about us. Will they react like Kayla or will they be supportive? The last thing I need is to give my parents more reasons to be disappointed that I couldn’t even find a man good enough for them.

The thing is, Brent is good enough. I can already see that. If they can’t, then they’re blind. It’s as simple as that.

Later that day, I’m at work and things are a bit slow. I haven’t had a customer in half an hour and only one in the half hour before that. It’s very odd, but I’m not complaining. With nothing in particular to do, I help a co-worker return clothes to their racks for our section. When a pair of hands clutch my waist, a startled yelp leaks from my mouth as a person chuckles behind me. The hands turn me and I’m face to face with Brent.

I slap his shoulder. “Are you crazy? Why would you scare me like that?”

“For fun.” He grins. “I wanted to talk to you, but I knew you were working, so I decided to drop by. Plus, it was either this or work. I chose you.”

A stupid smile overtakes my face. “I’m glad to hear that. But first, I have a bone to pick with you.” Brent’s eyes crinkle in concern. “I decided to tell my mother what you said, that I’m too busy with a guy to worry about anything else. It backfired big time. My parents want to meet you now.”

To my surprise, Brent smiles. “Let’s do it then.”

“What?” I squeak.

“Your parents can be jackasses. If I meet them and they say something rude to you while I’m there, I get to tell them off in the nicest way possible. It would be a pleasure to tell them what you probably want to say but don’t.”

I laugh. “You’re terrible. I need to keep you far, far away from my parents.” Although, it warms my heart to hear that he’ll stand up to them. “What did you come here to tell me?”

He takes the clothes from my hands and holds them for me while I continue to work. “I talked to Kayla after you left.” My eyes fly over to meet his. “She’s going to try to get used to the idea.” He sounds way more hopeful than I feel. “We also decided we’re going on an Alaskan cruise for my birthday.”

“Oh, that’s awesome! I bet y’all will have a ton of fun.”

“I’m sure we will. Would you like to come with us?”

I drop the shirt I’m holding and Brent bends down to pick it up. “Are you crazy?” I ask for the second time tonight. “How do you know we’re ready to be trapped on a ship for what? A week? Plus, Kayla doesn’t even like me.”

“We have a couple of months to get her to like you and I’d love to be trapped on a ship with you.” His smile almost makes me say yes on the spot. “It’ll be right after finals. Use that trust you give so easily and say you’ll come with me. Be my birthday present.”

“How much is the trip? When do you need to know? Walk and talk,” I add when I spot a customer at the register. He tells me how much the trip costs, the dates, and that if I choose to go, it’ll be us in a room and Logan, Kayla, and Gregory in another. The idea that I’ll be tagging along on a family vacation makes me uneasy, especially considering the current circumstances. I don’t know what to do.